New lantanas are drought, disease and cold resistant

Published: Sunday, August 25, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, August 22, 2013 at 6:42 p.m.

Lantanas are a wonderful summer plant that will brighten any garden. They bloom their heads off and love the heat and can take our humidity.

Once established, they are drought tolerant, but of course with all the rain this year, water has not been an issue. They are reliable and colorful, and today, new varieties are more cold hardy than the ones most of us have known in the past.

Lantanas love full sun best, but I have to say, mine do not get but about six hours of sun and they are doing great.

Growing up in Eastern North Carolina, we had a lantana bush (Lantana camara) that grew to about 4 feet tall and had red, orange and yellow flowers. It was cold hardy and would return faithfully each summer. This lantana, with its flowers that resembled miniature nosegays, was seen in older gardens around the South.

In more recent years, I have come to know the trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis), which is great for hanging baskets, perennial beds and decorative pots. It grows about 1 foot tall, and if it is happy, can spread to about 5 feet wide. These attractive plants are also colorful and decorative. Both kinds are butterfly magnets and are also know to attract hummingbirds.

Several years ago, Michael Dirr, the well-known plant authority, was living in Chapel Hill. While there, he noted a lantana in his daughter Suzy’s garden that was low-growing like the trailing lantana yet cold hardy like the bush form. This survived the four years he was there, including the harsh winter of 2007. Dirr took note of this plant and did some testing and found it had the properties of lantana “New gold” and “Miss Huff” (Lantana camara x Lantana montevidensis). Both of these were present in Suzy’s garden. Dirr thought this lantana was a winner and decided to propagate Suzy’s seedling, naming it “Chapel Hill Yellow.”

Dirr then went to work to produce a cold-hardy gold lantana. His endeavors were a success, and it is named Chapel Hill Gold. He has since produced Chapel Hill Apricot Sunrise and Chapel Hill Sunny Side Up. He is now working on three new lantanas, which will also be in the Chapel Hill series, that should be available in 2014. Dirr is considering naming two of the three Chapel Hill Yellow Buzz and Chapel Hill White Glow.

When you start to plant your lantanas, give them well-drained soil and follow a regular watering schedule until they are well established. I think it is always good to give them a little slow-release fertilizer or good rich organic soil. Lantanas will establish a deep root system, giving them the ability to be more drought hardy.

I have never known them to have pest or disease problems. It is a real hardy plant. They are deer-resistant, and the voles have not bothered lantana in my garden.

<p>Lantanas are a wonderful summer plant that will brighten any garden. They bloom their heads off and love the heat and can take our humidity.</p><p>Once established, they are drought tolerant, but of course with all the rain this year, water has not been an issue. They are reliable and colorful, and today, new varieties are more cold hardy than the ones most of us have known in the past.</p><p>Lantanas love full sun best, but I have to say, mine do not get but about six hours of sun and they are doing great.</p><p>Growing up in Eastern North Carolina, we had a lantana bush (Lantana camara) that grew to about 4 feet tall and had red, orange and yellow flowers. It was cold hardy and would return faithfully each summer. This lantana, with its flowers that resembled miniature nosegays, was seen in older gardens around the South.</p><p>In more recent years, I have come to know the trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis), which is great for hanging baskets, perennial beds and decorative pots. It grows about 1 foot tall, and if it is happy, can spread to about 5 feet wide. These attractive plants are also colorful and decorative. Both kinds are butterfly magnets and are also know to attract hummingbirds.</p><p>Several years ago, Michael Dirr, the well-known plant authority, was living in Chapel Hill. While there, he noted a lantana in his daughter Suzy's garden that was low-growing like the trailing lantana yet cold hardy like the bush form. This survived the four years he was there, including the harsh winter of 2007. Dirr took note of this plant and did some testing and found it had the properties of lantana “New gold” and “Miss Huff” (Lantana camara x Lantana montevidensis). Both of these were present in Suzy's garden. Dirr thought this lantana was a winner and decided to propagate Suzy's seedling, naming it “Chapel Hill Yellow.”</p><p>Dirr then went to work to produce a cold-hardy gold lantana. His endeavors were a success, and it is named Chapel Hill Gold. He has since produced Chapel Hill Apricot Sunrise and Chapel Hill Sunny Side Up. He is now working on three new lantanas, which will also be in the Chapel Hill series, that should be available in 2014. Dirr is considering naming two of the three Chapel Hill Yellow Buzz and Chapel Hill White Glow.</p><p>When you start to plant your lantanas, give them well-drained soil and follow a regular watering schedule until they are well established. I think it is always good to give them a little slow-release fertilizer or good rich organic soil. Lantanas will establish a deep root system, giving them the ability to be more drought hardy.</p><p>I have never known them to have pest or disease problems. It is a real hardy plant. They are deer-resistant, and the voles have not bothered lantana in my garden.</p><p>Reach Betty Montgomery at 864-585-9213 or BMontgomery40@gmail.com.</p>